"The exit is this way, Mister Pope!"
(Jusepe de Ribera. The Deliverance of St. Peter. [Source])
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"The exit is this way, Mister Pope!"
(Jusepe de Ribera. The Deliverance of St. Peter.
[Source])
Many "hard-core" Catholics complain about homosexual persons, pseudogamy (i.e. "gay marriage"), and the fact Natural Law and the Bible are treated with contempt by some persons with same-sex attractions. They almost seem to be blaming homosexual persons for all the evil in the Church and the World. (Other "hard-core" Catholics blame other scapegoats, like Islam, etc.)
I claim that even though homosexual persons are not perfect, nevertheless they should not bear most of the blame for the current sad state of our moral standards. In other words, we should mostly blame "Catholic heterostupidity" for our problems, not homosexual attractions (or Islam, or Atheists, etc.).
The pseudogamy problem didn't pop out of the blue. Of course, this problem probably has many causes (among them the persecution of homosexual persons by some bad Catholics), but it seems we could single out three of the most important: divorce, contraception and abortion. Notice that these three topics have nothing to do with homosexual persons, since homosexual unions by definition are naturally sterile (hence, no need for contraception or abortion), and "gay divorce" couldn't have been a problem before "gay marriages" existed!
2.1) Divorce. If marriage is just a social convention which can be bent and twisted according to our fancies, then why not have homosexual marriages? The fundamental argument against divorce is that marriage is indissoluble by Natural Law. If one of the most fundamental aspects of marriage is denied, then in a way marriage doesn't really exist anymore. It is just a word we can play with.
2.2) Contraception. If the sexual act is not intrinsically related to human reproduction, then why not have sexual acts between two males, or between two females? A heman and a woman who have sex while using contraceptives are just as sterile as two hemen having sex, for example. If your kitchen blender is broken, why not use it as a paperweight, or a work of art? It's no longer a kitchen blender anymore, except by name. If you have broken the "nuptial meaning" of the human body, why not use the "nuptial equipment" of the human body in ways completely incompatible with reproduction?
2.3) Abortion. If an abortion can be good if a person's conscience says it's good, then it's not only the baby that is killed by abortion, it's morality itself (see among others Error: "To Act Well, We Just Need To Obey Our Conscience!"). If Morality doesn't exist anymore, why complain about pseudogamy?
Not only do I claim that pseudogamy is just one of the many sad consequences of Catholic heterostupidity, but I also claim that pseudogamy is often used by some Catholics to hide their own shortcomings.
Let's face it: We Catholics are the Salt of the Earth. If everything tastes bland all of a sudden, we are to blame, and nobody else. If the preceding two sentences are false, then God is dead, or God didn't found the Catholic Church, in which case we Catholics should just shut up. If those two sentences are not false, then we really, truly, effectively are responsible for this mess!
The list of things some Catholics do to promote heterostupidity is long and scary, but here is a partial overview:
3.1) Cutting ourselves off from the Magisterium. Just as Satan has a thousand lies, there are a thousand different ways of cutting ourselves off from the Magisterium. For example, there's the "Winnipeg Statement". It could be argued that on September 27, 1968, the Catholic Church was disbanded here in Canada, by the Canadian Bishops themselves. In the "Winnipeg Statement", the Bishops apparently reject the authority of the Pope. Where is the open revolt of Canadian Catholics against their bad shepherds, and in favor of the Pope, the true Vicar of Christ?
3.2) The "Catholic Omertà". There are a few good Bishops and Priests out there, but they refuse to publicly condemn the serious errors of their peers. But if a wolf hasn't done anything wrong, then he isn't a wolf, and if a sheep doesn't have anything negative to say about wolves, then he isn't really a sheep. See among others "The Catholic Omertà".
3.3) Infighting. Question: "How many Catholics does it take to change a light bulb?" Answer: "Just one, otherwise they'll start to bicker and get nothing done". Another way of having the same problem is Disunited activism, i.e. the attempt to avoid fixing the cause of infighing (sin), by declaring that the best way to change things is by avoiding teamwork. (See also Do You Want To Be A Proton Or An Electron?)
3.4) Quietism. Another heresy decimating the ranks of the few Catholics still faithful to the Pope is Quietism. This heresy makes people think they can sweep their cowardice under a thick carpet of "Hail Mary's". (See among others Quietism in FAQ #9).
3.5) Political ineptness. Many Catholics are incredibly inept when it comes time to participate in the democratic life of their country. See among others "Pure As Doves, But Dumb As Dodos".
3.6) "Spacesuit religion". In the Province of Quebec, many new religious movements are faithful to the Pope, but unfortunately they also often suffer from the "Spacesuit Syndrome". Astronauts have spacesuits providing them with a comfy little micro-environment, despite being surrounded by horribly freezing or scorching temperatures, and the airless void of outer space. Many new religious movements almost cut themselves off from the rest of the Church. They have their own little micro-environment (nice Masses, good Catholic doctrine, etc.), but they don't give a damn about the rest. If you try to contact them, and they find out you don't want to "get into their spacesuit", they will ignore you. It gets worse: when these Catholics go to work in the morning, they often take off their spacesuit and become extra-terrestrial lizards, so they'll fit right in with the crowd of pagan monsters. Outside their spacesuit, you would never know they are Catholics.
3.7) "Apparitosis" and "Miraculite". These two spiritual diseases of Catholicism cause much harm. Of course, there is nothing wrong with Church-approved apparitions of the Virgin Mary, or "certified" miracles of Jesus and the saints. But it seems to me there is something wrong with a twisted craving to flatter our senses and emotions ("apparitosis"). There also seems to be something wrong with "miracles" or "signs of God's Providence" that always seem to orbit around one's own belly-button, and conveniently justify whatever course of action laziness or stupidity happens to suggest ("miraculite"). (See among others The Blessed Virgin, and Sad Gullibility).
3.8) Biblical self-deception. This spiritual disease is related to Quietism (see #3.4 above), since it leads to inaction. On the other hand, Quietism doesn't deny the existence of evil, whereas "Biblical self-deception" is a voluntary effort to see good where there is only evil, by blinding oneself with biblical pretexts. (See among others Purification, Or Strangulation?).
3.9) Homophobia and Sexism. The official teachings of the Church on homosexual attractions, contraception and abortion are absolutely not homophobic or sexist. But some Catholics are, and they try to hide their sins behind the Pope or the Blessed Virgin Mother.
3.10) Lack of scientific culture. The Catholic Church defends and promotes all Sciences (which includes Philosophy, the General Science), but many Catholics have such a lack of scientific culture that it makes Galileo sob in his grave.
3.11) "Extreme Traditionalism". So-called "Extreme Traditionalists" basically tell the Pope to take a hike. They dress up their insubordination with fancy Latin words and quotes from canonized but dead Popes (who are certainly working overtime in Heaven to intercede for Extreme Traditionalists, so God won't punish them too hard). See among others The Dark Side of Tradition.
3.12) Papal idolatry. Nobody can accuse me of not being faithful to the Pope (see my Profession of faith). But the Pope is not infallible neither in his personal life nor his daily government of the Church (See among others Papal Infallibility, and the Stupid Gods). I agree that criticizing our leader is an extremely delicate topic at best, but nevertheless the Dogma of Papal Infallibility is not a license to turn your brain off.
3.13) Pathetic defense of our Faith. When they try to defend their Faith against heretics and atheists, many Catholics look like couch potatoes trying to stop an M-1B Abrams Main Battle Tank by throwing pretzels and soda pop cans at it. Many Catholics know precious little about their own religion, and are not even aware of the arguments that make it fun and easy to confound heretics and atheists.
3.14) Maladjustment to reality. Catholicism is not the "opium of the people", and saints inevitably have a great practical sense. On the other hand, many Catholics, blinded by pride, see only qualities when they look at their maladjustment to reality. Are they too dumb to have studied Sciences in High School (Math, Physics, etc.)? Then when they see all the doors slamming shut in their faces, whether in University or on the job market, they claim that they are "above these things", that they prefer to study "more noble topics" like Philosophy and Theology. Are they computer illiterate? Then they will swoon over the effectiveness of "Novenas to the good Saint Anne", or the "wonders that the Virgin is accomplishing in Medjugorje". Are they too lazy to work with their hands like saint Joseph the carpenter? Then they brag about having "evangelical poverty" and about "giving themselves up to God's Providence". But if they have all of the above shortcomings, then "God is calling them to the Priesthood"!
3.15) Insensitivity to pollution, capitalism and the arms race. For whatever heterostupid reason, good Catholics who are faithful to the Pope are often insensitive to very real, very tough, and very urgent problems normally discussed by the "left-wing" press. The destruction of our environment is potentially just as horrible as abortion (it could kill as many if not more innocent men), and capitalism and the arms race are both keeping large portions of mankind in an abject state of poverty which "cries up to the Lord". And when the Lord comes back, He's going to be really, really angry at all those who didn't do everything they could to stop this madness.
3.16) Microscopic Incestuous Deforestation. There are an amazing number of tiny Cathlic organizations whose sole purpose in life seems to be to collect money from their members, then cut down some trees to publish a worthless paper newsletter that will only be read by those same few members. What is even worse is that many of these tiny organizations swap the same few members between themselves!
3.17) "Here is what you think". I just hate it when I get an e-mail saying: "Here is what you think! We just sent your opinion to the Media!" Why wasn't I consulted before my name was put on that opinion? And of course, it's worse when the opinion is stupid and I could have helped you improve it greatly, if only you had asked...
3.18) Masked machismo. Some day, if you want to have fun, look for all the Catholic web sites with macho names like "Defenders of the Magisterium", or "Our Lady's Warriors", etc., whose only contact information is one anonymous e-mail like "info@macho-catho.com"! Please, masks are for terrorists. If you're too much of a ballerina to show your face, don't pretend to be a macho warrior for Christ.
3.19) Ghost-dollars. Many Catholic groups sollicit donations, but without ever saying precisely and publicly how much money was raised in the past, how it was spent, and how these new monies will be spent!
3.20) The Rowdy Pendulum. Many Catholics try to fight one vicious extreme with another just as vicious extreme. See the many texts on this web site about this topic, like "The Warmaker's Bifocals", "The Quiet Revolution, and the Rowdy Pendulum", "A Few Typical Errors In Election Platforms" (Section 9), etc.
The more alert readers will have noticed the sometimes intensely autobiographical character of this list! More seriously, others will worry about the large number of shortcomings we must avoid; isn't this list too long? I answer: "Bonum ex integra causa, malum ex quolibet defectu".
If I knew how to slay the Heterostupidity Dragon, I'd write a letter to the Pope, explaining how to fix his Church. The best I've managed so far is to come up with a few ideas which some people claim are worth discussing:
4.1) Sanctify ourselves. The first principle and permanent foundation of any improvement in the Church and Civil Society is the sanctification of its members.
4.2) Defend Priesthood, Catechesis and the Eucharist. See Sections 2 and 3 of the Lost Sermon called The Diocesan Demolition Derby.
4.3) Unify all Catholic Media. Currently, there are many Catholic media (web sites, newspapers, magazines, publishers, radio stations, etc.). If we somehow united their forces while respecting their independence, they could better defend the teachings of the Church. See The Mediatic Body of Christ.
4.4) Develop a Modern Thomistic Philosophy Manual. Without Philosophy, the "Queen of Sciences", we can neither defend the value of Science, nor have any rational debate with non-Catholics, nor effectively defend the teachings of the Catholic Church. See the Project Vision for the OSThoPhiT.
4.5) Build bridges with non-Catholics. Real Catholics, like their Supreme Leader Jesus Christ, are nice, rational, logical, open to discussion, tolerant, etc. If we are not building bridges with non-Catholics, we're not doing our job. See Project Vision for the Common Ground Declaration.
4.6) Increase the quality and quantity of our involvement in politics. See How should we participate in politics?
4.7) Improve our knowledge of Catholicism. See among others some good books, some good web sites, and the Lost Sermons.
4.8) Lobby our local Bishop to have at least one Catholic Parish. See among others Please, Mr. Cardinal, Could You Leave Us One Parish?, and #6 of My Subjective Assessment Of The CUF.
4.9) Support our religious leaders by demanding a good and joyful inquisition. See the FAQ of this website.
We Catholics are the salt of the Earth, or we should be anyway. Some Catholics need more practice with the Seven Magic Words, before they start complaining about others:
"Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa."
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